#which makes the whole thing with Pauline very convenient

[heloflor]

Have a doc filled with Mario headcanons and wanted to share the sexualities part because fuck it, it’s still pride month.

Disclaimer since it’s relevant to this post : I headcanon that Peach, Daisy, Wario and Waluigi are all creatures from the world of the Mushroom Kingdom who look the way they do due to magic gems (those blue and green gems that Peach and Daisy have respectively). Peach is a Toad, Daisy is a Dino-Rhino (unless those flower people from Mario Bros acid trip Wonder are from her Kingdom, then again I like Daisy being a giant cool Dino, plus the trailer for Wonder showed several other big animals), not sure for Wario and Waluigi but they’re not humans. The Super Crown works the way it does because there’s one of those gems in it.

Also, since it’s briefly mentioned, what I call the “main” continent is made out of the Mushroom, Koopa, Bomb-omb, Thwomp, and Goomba kingdoms. Sarasaland (retconned into Flower Kingdom now ?) and other kingdoms are on other continents (yes I know in Superstar Saga the Beanbean kingdom is neighbors with the Mushroom. But since they never appear in other games, I’ve chosen to ignore that detail).

Anyways, onto the headcanons :

- Mario : Transmasc Aromantic Heterosexual ; he realized he’s aro after finding out Peach is a Toad and losing sexual interest in her (felt bad about it at first because he thought he fell out of love upon discovering Peach at her most vulnerable, Bowser made it worse for him by accusing him of liking her only due to her human form) ; him being transmasc is why he’s named Mario Mario (he thought it would be funny)

- Luigi : Cis Bisexual ; had a fling with Peasley + loves Daisy ; he’s gender non-conforming and sometimes shares clothes with Peach, he also trains his voice to be higher-pitched for the heck of it (+ it can help in case he has to take Peach’s place for a kidnapping)

- Peach : Demiromantic Pansexual ; is cis-passing in human form but is technically transfem due to being a Toad

- Bowser : Omnisexual ; Cis tho I like the idea of him being transmasc and birthing Junior’s egg

- Yoshi and Birdetta are T4T + poly (hence Birdetta flirting with others) ; Birdetta’s eggs aren’t actually eggs (insert joke about her “eggs” being white) ; not sure if “all Yoshis that lay eggs are female” but at least all those that lay eggs that can be fertilized are female (and on that note YOSHI MIGHT BE CANONICALLY TRANSMASC ???!!!) ; Yoshi is straight while Birdetta is plurisexual (bi/pan/omni etc)

- Daisy : Straight + intersex + transfem (imagine if Prince Haru from the 1986 movie was her appearance pre-transition, but remove the whole “Peach’s fiancé” part of the plot, or the plot as a whole since the events of this movie didn’t happen here, just keep Haru’s design as “Daisy before transitioning”)

- Big fan of the headcanon that Kamek is gay ; he doesn’t date because 1. He’s busy 2. He’s getting too old for this 3. He’s devoted to his son and grandchildren which takes all his free time

- Depending on which creature he is Wario would be cishet though I could also see him be plurisexual (bi/pan/omni/other label that has to do with dating more than one gender ; I like putting diversity in queer headcanons but I’m not the most knowledgeable on labels past the most common ones)

- Not sure for Rosalina, either aroace or she’s allo but just stays single due to her life situation ; probably non-binary (she/it, could also be a play on the fact that some see her as some kind of goddess)

- Pauline is Cis Lesbian and her and Mario parted on good terms after he came out as trans on top of other reasons (basically they still care a lot about each other but realized they were better off as friends, the whole “unknown aro + transmasc with lesbian” simply gave them an easier excuse to break up)

- Really not sure for Bowser's kids, the only ideas that are "set in stone" are that Ludwig is gay, Wendy is attracted to boys (doesn't meant she can't like girls), Lemmy is demi-boy (they/him) and Morton is attracted to girls (like Wendy it doesn't close the door for liking men).

Not sure for the rest, though I could see Iggy using he/neopronouns (likely xe/xem) and at least one of them being interesex. Btw the older kids say they don’t date because they’re busy with royal duties but the truth is they are just incredibly awkward + they can’t ask their dad for advice since he’s a romantic disaster

- I could see Toadsworth be aroace, since even in his younger years he cared more about raising his surrogate daughter than dating + he never pressures Peach into marrying ? In general he doesn’t seem to care about romance ? ; he’s also transmasc because Toad

- After seeing Bowser’s Inside Story and the beginning of Dream Team, Starlow is a lesbian crushing on Peach (is very buddy-buddy with Peach despite barely knowing her, makes a big deal out of Peach being kept safe, calls her “Peach” instead of “Princess” from the get go, at times seems to see Peach as the best person in the room)

- Toads and Goombas are naturally agender because mushrooms ; some choose to express a specific gender (ex Toadsworth, Toadette, Peach, the Toads and Goombas from the first two Paper Mario) ; some may use gendered pronouns even if their presentation doesn’t display any specific gender (ex Captain Toad using he/him despite looking like any other Toad) ; basically every Toad/Goomba that use gendered pronouns (or neopronouns) is technically trans and/or non-binary ; cisgender Toads/Goombas go by they/it ; the Super Crown gem gives the shape the Toad see themselves as but it doesn’t have to be cis-passing or even gender conforming, can be androgyne (Daisy took a while to figure herself out, hence her gem giving her Haru’s look at first ; she's not from an agender species but the way the gems work still applies to hers, hence mentioning how her being trans worked on that front)

- That previous point implies either all Toads have the same metabolism and thus all grow facial hair (Peach having to shave tho) or they have mushrooms that serves as HRT for those who want more “masculine” or “feminine” traits (hair/facial hair and tone of voice) ; the color of their hats has nothing to do with gender for Toads (ignore Nintendo’s weird obsession with making every female character in the Mario franchise pink)

- Sexual dimorphism in general is very rare/limited in this world (only the Beanbean kingdom has it ?), in “main” continent, Koopas are the ones where it’s the most present and even then it’s very minimal (genitals, who can lay eggs, possibly size but even then not really since Pom Pom is the only one smaller than her male counterpart, Wendy and other female Koopas aren’t particularly small)

- Toads (and other species) experimenting with gender could be due to seeing Koopas make the distinction between “male” and “female” and finding the idea of changing your appearance based on how you feel to be fun (even though you have the concept of male and female Koopas, there’s no transphobia in Bowser’s kingdom) ; by that point it’s common for Toads to change however they feel and go by any pronouns they want, just because they’re aware of the concepts of masculinity and femininity doesn’t mean they have to follow it to the letter with their pronouns unless they want to

- On that note, I could see Toadette as genderfluid, though she most often goes by she/her ; I could also see one or several of the other main Toads (Ala Gold, Bucken Berry, Captain Toad, "The" Red ToadTM) be bi-gender

- Not sure what’s going on with Waluigi but he’s definitely queer

[finn-writes-stuff]

First of all congratulations! Now I could I request 33 from the dialog prompts with sniper from tf2?

33. “There’s…. Only one bed.”

I’ll be honest, I’m not super happy with this. It’s something though, so enjoy?

Sniper x Reader

Fandom: Team Fortress 2

Format: Drabble

Gender-neutral reader

Tf2 Masterlist

Commission Info

Today had been a very long day.

You and Sniper had been sent off base for what had seemed like a simple mission, but everything that could’ve gone wrong, had gone wrong. Sniper had dark bruises along his jaw, and you were covered in mud.

It was a long story, but suffice to say, you both couldn’t wait to get into your hotel room and fall asleep. Ms Pauline had booked the rooms, and she was usually good for making sure it wasn’t a flea infested motel at least.

You both had high hopes for at least a good nights sleep after this awful day. Sniper had been leaning on you the whole way to the hotel, the exhaustion in his bones apparent. (It couldn’t have been comfortable for him to lean on you like that, with how tall he was, but you weren’t going to complain. You liked having him close.)

The smell of his cigarettes clung to him, a telltale sign of how stressful today had been. You knew he didn’t often smoke on the job, especially never when waiting with his rifle. But after everything going wrong, you couldn’t fault him a few smokes.

You’d been trying to get closer with sniper for a while now, his dry sarcasm was all the more endearing when you knew you got to hear it so much more than the rest of the team. He was still quiet around you, but you’d gained enough of his trust and respect to be the one he made his quips to when one of the other Mercs were being stupid.

And so you had expected to relish this mission, getting to spend some time alone with him. This was supposed to be great! Instead you were counting down the seconds until you could get a shower, and he was practically falling asleep on his feet as you walked into the hotel.

You knew you must’ve been a sight but you smiled wearily at the receptionist, rattling off the fake name the reservation was under. They seemed concerned, but you sped through the interaction,

Avoiding questions, Once that awkward conversation was over and you had the room key, you pulled Sniper along with you to the elevator.

“Just one room?” He asked as you pressed the button for your floor.

“Yep, haven’t you heard Pauline? There have been a bunch of budget cuts lately for her. Getting us two king suites is a bit much to ask for, I suppose,” You tried to laugh, but it sounded more like a tired cough.

“So long as I’m not sleeping on a hard floor, I’m happy,” he replied. Sniper’s smile was tired but sweet, and you couldn’t help but smile back at him. Your matching smiles stuck around as you walked down the hall to your rooms

Of course, when you opened the door to the hotel room, your smiles dropped.

“There’s…. Only one bed.” You said slowly, walking into the room and looking around as if another would be hiding around the corner.

“God fucking damnit.” Sniper had walked over to the bed, and grabbed a note that was lying on the blanket. “Sorry guys, budget cuts. You know how it is. Pauline.” He read out, scoffing. “Fucking budget cuts.”

“She really couldn’t have warned us beforehand?” You asked, dropping your bag by the wall.

“Probably knew we’d bother her for something better. It’s fine, I can sleep on the floor.” He replied.

“What? You had a long day, got beat up, and not three minutes ago said that you didn’t want to sleep in the floor, Snipes,” you said immediately. He looked like death warmed over right now, there’s no way you were gonna make him sleep on the floor. “I can take the floor,” you insisted.

“You’re not sleeping on the floor. You can have the bed.”

“Well you’re not sleeping on the floor either! You need the bed more than I do.”

“I’m taking the floor.”

“If you sleep on the floor I will to!”

“Crikey, either I sleep on the floor or we share the bed, alright? I’m not making ya sleep on the floor.”

“Then we can share,” you said “It’ll be fine, and we’ll both sleep better there than the floor.”

“That’s fine with me then.” He dropped his bag on the bed, and ran a hand through his hair with a sigh. “You can use the shower first, Go ahead.”

You weren’t going to argue with that, you could feel the mud everywhere and it was awful.

You jumped through the shower quickly, not wanting to keep him waiting for his turn, and did your best to keep your thoughts away from the situation at hand. Sharing a bed with him? It was out of convenience of course but still! What if you accidentally invaded his space in your sleep and he hated you for it? And he’d be so close to you either way!

Keeping your thoughts away clearly wasn’t working. You towelled off your hair roughly when you got out of the shower, shaking the thoughts away.

Stepping out of the bathroom, you say Sniper sitting at the edge of the bed, looking half asleep already. His stuff had been moved to the side of the bed, which took the burden of choosing a side off of you at least. He yawned as he stood up and walked past you, and you were hit with how exhausted you were too.

It was simple enough to slip into some pyjamas and get set up on your side of the bed. The only thing that kept you from passing out was the anxiety biting at your thoughts. Sharing a bed with him like this was totally platonic and just cause of work stuff. There was no reason to get all worked up about it.

Right?

That line of reasoning unfortunately went out the window when Sniper walked back into the room, with only some grey sweats on. Jesus Christ. You were thankful that he seemed too tired to notice you ogling him.

When he laid down in the bed, you were struck by how small the space was. He was so close to you. Not quite touching you but you could feel the warmth he radiated like a heater.

“Get some sleep, alright? We both need it,” he said, turning off the lmao next to him.

He was right, and you were tired. So even his proximity didn’t keep you from passing out just about as soon as you closed your eyes.

-

When you woke up, you were warm and comfortable. That was nice, but as your brain slowly turned on, you realized you should not have been warm and comfortable in this hotel room, it was the bare minimum of good enough.

Cracking your eyes open, you were met with the fact that you were curled up half on Sniper’s chest with his arms wrapped around your waist.

Fuck.

What were you supposed to do? Move? What if you woke him up? But it would be weirder if you didn’t, right?

You tried to slowly sit up, and you very quickly realized that his hold on you was too tight to just pull away without waking him up. So now you were sitting at an angle looking down at his sleeping face. He looked peaceful. When awake, Sniper always looked so stressed, but in this moment, he was calm.

You were significantly less calm. Especially when he cracked an eye open to look up at you.

“Go back t’sleep,” he mumbled, pulling you back down onto his chest. One of his hands moved up to your hair, gently holding you as he fell back asleep, his breath evening out once again.

[joachimnapoleon]

Meet the Bonapartes: Pauline (1/3)

New project! I got it into my head recently to do some research/mini-bios on all of Napoleon’s siblings. I find all their stories pretty interesting, but predictably (and understandably) they’ve always ended up relegated to the background of Napoleon’s much more famous story. I’m planning on each write-up being multiple parts. And, if the way this first one has gone so far is any indication, probably more parts than I originally intended them to be.

The conventional thing to do would be to write them in order from oldest sibling to youngest. 

...

Anyway we’re starting with Pauline, the third youngest, because she’s one of my favorites. :)

*****

Pauline Bonaparte was born in Ajaccio, Corsica, on 20 October 1780; she was the sixth of what would be eight surviving children born to Carlo Buonaparte and Letizia Ramolino. Baptized the following day at the local cathedral, she was christened Maria-Paola; her family would refer to her throughout her childhood as "Paoletta."

Almost nothing is known of her childhood in Ajaccio other than that her education was woefully neglected (as would be that of her younger siblings, Jerome and Caroline), and that she delighted in mischief at a young age. Her father died when she was only five years old, and her mother did little to instill discipline into the younger children; they were given a room in the house in which they were pretty much left to their own devices. Napoleon, eleven years her elder and appearing only sporadically during her early years as he continued his education in France, nevertheless developed a strong affection for her which he would retain for the remainder of his life, and which Pauline would reciprocate for the rest of hers.

In June of 1793, the inflammatory political sentiments of her third eldest brother, Lucien, set the ire of the supporters of the Corsican patriot Paoli against the Buonapartes, and the family was soon forced to flee Corsica for the French mainland. They eventually settled in Marseilles, and it was at this time that the names of the family were "Frenchified"; the surname Buonaparte was refashioned to Bonaparte, Maria-Paola into Pauline, and her affectionate nickname of Paoletta now became Paulette.

In Marseilles, she continued with the mischief of her childhood, stealing figs from a neighbor, who once caught her in the act and chased her off with a vine whip, sputtering curses. In her less mischievous moments, Pauline made herself dresses; by her mid-teens she was already becoming known for her beauty, and had developed a taste for finery, although the family was still far from wealthy at this point.

In later years, once Napoleon had come to power and royalist (and British) propagandists began taking aim at the Bonaparte family, numerous sordid stories were published about the behavior of Pauline and her sisters, with the earliest accounts of their alleged promiscuity occurring during their time in Marseilles. The royalist Peltier was one of the first to spread these rumors, depicting Pauline as having taken her first lover at the age of fourteen, and claiming that all three siblings had worked as prostitutes in while living Marseilles (Caroline was only eleven years old). There is nothing credible in any of these stories, but they were the start of a near-constant stream of rumors and tabloid gossip that would continue to accumulate about the Bonaparte sisters for the rest of their lives, and which have unfairly tarnished their reputations to this day.

However, Pauline did fall in love for the first time during this period, at the tender age of fifteen, with a much older man: a forty-one-year-old politician named Stanislas Fréron. Fréron had been tasked with establishing the authority of the revolutionary Convention to Toulon, where he first encountered Napoleon Bonaparte. How he first met Pauline is less clear, but she soon fell head-over-heels in love with him. With the assistance of older sister Elisa (and possible Lucien), she wrote love letters to Fréron, featuring excerpts such as the following:

Ti amo, sempre, et passionnatissimamente, per sempre ti amo, ti amo, amo, amo, amo, amo, si amatissime amante.

Fréron seems to have genuinely reciprocated the feelings. It was through him that Pauline became acquainted with the writings of Petrarch, which would always remain dear to her. Fréron intended to marry the girl, and Napoleon was not initially opposed to the match. Letizia Bonaparte, on the other hand, did oppose it; whether because of the age difference or because of the stories of Fréron's less-than-savory private life (he had at least two illegitimate children from an Italian actress) is unclear. Pauline scorned her mother's opposition, gushing to Fréron:

My heart is not for sharing. It's given to you whole. Who could oppose the union of two souls who seek only happiness and who find it in loving each other? No, my love, not Maman, not anyone can refuse you my hand.

It wasn't until Fréron began to fall out of political favor that Napoleon finally vetoed the impending marriage himself. Pauline was devastated, but submitted to her brother's will, writing him the following (again with the help of Elisa):

As for me I would rather be unhappy all my life than marry without your consent and bring your curses down on me. If, my dear Napoleon, you, for whom I have always had the most tender affection, could see the tears that your letter has caused me to shed, I believe that even you would be touched.

By way of consolation, Napoleon invited her to visit him. At some point after the Fréron affair, one of Napoleon's young aides-de-camp, Jean Andoche Junot, fell passionately in love with Pauline, and hoped to marry her. But Napoleon bluntly shot him down, saying "You have nothing. She has nothing. What does that total? Nothing. Your children will be born to wretchedness. Best to wait."

Pauline accompanied the rest of the family to stay with Napoleon in Mombello, Italy, in 1797. This was the first time the Bonaparte and Beauharnais family were in regular close contact with each other; it did not go well. Letizia despised Josephine, and in short order all of her children (minus, of course, Napoleon) followed suit. Pauline, envious of Josephine's grace, polish, and fine wardrobe, made it a point of sticking her tongue out at Napoleon's wife whenever her back was turned. She ran wild enough at Mombello--allegedly taking numerous young officers as lovers--that Napoleon became determined to marry her off as quickly as possible. He finally settled on a promising subordinate, twenty-five-year-old Charles-Victor-Emmanuel Leclerc. The match was convenient, as Leclerc, like numerous others before him, had also fallen in love with Pauline. She would refer to him affectionately as her "little Leclerc." The pair were married on 14 June 1797.

The French academician Arnault leaves the following impression of the newly-married couple, after a visit to their home on the rue de la Ville-l'Evêque:

I found Leclerc at home and intoxicated with happiness; amorous and ambitious, and both with reason. His wife seemed to me very happy too, not only because she was married to him, but also just because she was married. Her new position had not increased her seriousness, as was the case with her husband; he seemed more serious than usual. But as for her, she was just as much of a madcap as ever.

She became pregnant soon after the wedding, and Leclerc doted over her anxiously during what proved to be a difficult pregnancy. Their only child, a boy named Dermide Louis Napoleon Leclerc, was born on 20 April 1798. Pauline was plagued with recurring poor health from this pregnancy on. Her biographer Margery Weiner writes:

A difficult confinement left her debilitated and probably with some minor disorder easily rectified nowadays but, without proper treatment, a constant source of malaise and lassitude. It is likely that she suffered from post-natal inflammation for which contemporary medicine could prescribe only a round of therapeutic waters and baths, recommending in desperate cases baths of beef tea, surely more efficacious to swallow than to wallow in.

Leclerc eventually resigned his post in Paris and was reassigned to Brittany. Pauline did not accompany him to this post, staying in Paris with baby Dermide (Napoleon was campaigning in Egypt at this time). She was befriended by Madame Permon and her daughter Laure (future wife of Junot), who helped her make her way into Parisian society. In short order, Pauline was dazzling the salons of Paris with her natural charm and beauty (as well as her increasingly expensive wardrobe). "Nothing can give an idea of this ravishing figure," says Laure Junot in her memoirs. "She truly lit up the salon when she entered."

Perhaps entranced by her own talents for seduction and manipulation by this point, Pauline embarked on a brief triple love affair with three generals who were also close friends: Moreau, Macdonald, and Beurnonville. She seemed to take as much delight in being able to play the men against each other as she did in experiencing their affections; but it wasn't long before the three friends compared notes and decided to walk away from her in unison in order to preserve their friendship. The greatest effect of this affair was undoubtedly the stain it left on Pauline's reputation, not only in France but eventually abroad, as it quickly made its way into the British tabloids.

In late 1801, Napoleon--now First Consul--ordered Leclerc to Saint Domingue, to take charge of the 23,000 French troops there and suppress the rebellion of Toussaint L'Ouverture. To Pauline's dismay, her brother commanded her to accompany her husband on the expedition. Historian Michael Broers describes her resistance to this measure:

She... tried every trick she knew to get out of it. She claimed to be pregnant: Napoleon had her examined by his own doctor with the predictable result; she said she could not cope with the coach drive from Paris to Brest: he sent her in a sedan chair. She retaliated by going on a ruinous spending spree in Paris, which she landed on Napoleon, before her departure.

***

Sources:

Broers, Michael. Napoleon: Soldier of Destiny. 2014.

Cronin, Vincent. Napoleon Bonaparte: An Intimate Biography. 1972.

Fleischmann, Hector. Pauline Bonaparte and Her Lovers, 1914.

Fraser, Flora. Venus of Empire: The Life of Pauline Bonaparte, 2009.

Roberts, Andrews. Napoleon: A Life. 2014.

Weiner, Margery. The Parvenue Princesses: Elisa, Pauline, and Caroline Bonaparte. 1964.

Zamoyski, Adam. Napoleon: A Life. 2018.

[timewormbloom]

(Please note that Halt’s entire characterization here is based on the one scene where he just looses the ability to function in front of Lady Pauline and that is purely Crowley and Halt being mutually touch starved and being slightly in love with each other)

       Halt was not a tactile person. Sure he was more than willing to give someone a hug or two, but for the most part it just wasn’t something that came naturally to him. His upbringing simply didn't allow it. All affection happened behind closed doors, away from the court. Halt could go an entire day with nobody but the servants handling his clothing touching him. Which is why Crowley threw him for a loop. You couldn’t get within three feet of him without being casually touched in some way, weather it was merely a friendly shoulder touch or Crowley going full on octopus. He didn’t dislike it, but it threw him off so much that he wasn’t sure if he liked it.

        Crowley could spend years figuring out the puzzle that was Halt. Like how he tensed up whenever Crowley threw an arm around his shoulder, but would hug him in an instant. Maybe he didn’t like physical contact unless it was on his own terms? Should he tone it down? It might be for the best. Crowley was touch starved, sure. It was part of being a Ranger. But he didn’t want to make Halt uncomfortable. Toning it down it was.

      “You have got to be kidding,” Halt grumbled, scowling down at the tarp that had apparently offended him. Crowley looked away from the fire for a moment to answer with a small hum. Halt wordlessly held up a tarp with a sizable chunk taken out of the middle. “If it was torn I could fix it, but there’s not much I can do about this,” Halt signed and looked to the horizon, where conveniently some storm clouds were forming.

   “I saw a cave about a kilometer back. It don’t know if it’ll fit both of us, but if it doesn’t we can just fold the tarp over and turn it into a one person tent while the other sleeps in the cave,” Crowley offered, gesturing in the direction that they’d come from. Halt grunted in rely as he started to pack up the camp. Crowley wordlessly joined him in the familiar routine that they had countless times.

   They made it to the cave just in time to settle before the rain hit. Luckily both of them could fit, but they were noticeable closer than they were in their tent. The first few droplets of rain fell as Crowley wiggled around trying to give Halt as much space as possible. He knew how he felt about physical contact. Eventually Halt poked him hard in the ribs to stop his movements, so Crowley called it good and fell asleep with his back pressed against Halt.

   The first thing that Crowley noticed when we woke up was that it was warm. Then he noticed how Halt has his arm slung around his waist and his head leaning against Crowley’s neck. Crowley was at a loss. Should be wake up Halt? Or try to escape so Halt isn’t embarrassed?

       His musing were cut short by Halt’s eyes flying open. They had a few seconds of eye contact before Halt’s brain processed what was going on. He held his head up slightly and looked from his arms, that was still around Crowley waist, to Crowley’s face. Halt showed no outward signs of surprise, but Crowley could see traces of pink on his cheeks and ears. He abruptly pulled away and walked out of the tent.

      Crowley followed slightly behind and fell into a slightly more awkward routine of making breakfast. Soon they were both sitting around the fire. Halt flashed him a ‘you don’t mention it I don’t mention it’ look. Crowley nodded in understand before pulling out a map.

       “If we take the path here….”

        Crowley has planted himself next to Halt’s bed. He wasn’t sure if he hadn’t been shooed out because nobody had noticed him or because they were scared, but at the moment he didn’t care. All of is attention was on the medic steadily sticking the wound on Halt’s leg closed. He was trying very hard to not look at the trail of Halt’s blood that had fallen in their wake as Crowley rushed Halt through the halls of Castle Redmont.

       “How is he?” He asked, desperately, when he saw the medic tie off the stitches. They jumped and spun around, apparently not aware that they had an audience. They stared for a moment, before blinking away the surprise and letting professionalism take over.

       “He should wake up soon, though he’ll be a little loopy for a few hours from the blood loss. Don’t let him strain his leg too much,” they advised before scurrying out, leaving Crowley to immediately move closer.

       Which was probably a bad idea since when Halt woke an about an hour later they nearly knocked heads. Halt had a spaced out look and just looked at Crowley.

        “How are you feeling?” Crowley asked, barely able to contain his relief at seeing Halt awake.

        “Hug me.” Crowley just stared at Halt after he said that.

        “What?” he finally managed to choke out.

       “You heard me,” Halt demanded, grabbing Crowley’s conveniently located arm to pull him onto the bed with him. Crowley was so surprised that it wasn’t too hard for Halt to manhandle him. Before Crowley’s thoughts could catch up Halt was sprawled out in top of him.

        “Hey, I thought I told you to hug me,” Halt demanded, pinning Crowley with an intense stare. It was weird seeing Halt’s face sporting that somewhat blank look. Still, he hesitantly put his arms around Halt who seemed to melt into the touch.

       “I thought you didn’t like it when I touched you?” Crowley asked, confused.

        “I like it. I’m just not used to it. Hug me a lot,” he ordered. Well, who was Crowley to argue with that? Even if he was delirious because of blood loss. Crowley was touch-starved, okay?

        Crowley treasured moments like these. There was no nationwide disaster they needed to take care of, just drinking coffee in the middle of the woods with all of his comrades. Comrades that included Halt. That part was especially nice. King Duncan gave him a knowing look whenever Crowley mentioned Halt, which was weird.

        Speaking of weird looks, nearly every Ranger was giving Crowley and Halt some rather unimpressed ones. They could just be looking at him since he was the Commandant, and Halt was sitting very close to him. Very, very, close to him. Okay maybe that was why. Though was it really that weird to sit less than a few inches away from each other?

        “Oh for crying out loud just kiss already,” someone shouted from within the woods. Crowley laughed, putting a friendly arm over Halt’s shoulders.

         “Why not,” Halt called back, much to the disbelief of everyone around them. He reached up and laced his fingers through the hand currently resting right above his collarbone. Of course, it would have been cooler if his face hadn’t promptly turned roughly the color of a ripe tomato. “Of course, if you’re okay with, I mean…”

         Crowley had a feeling that Halt would have rambled on for ages if he left him, so he solved the problem by softly pecking Halt on the lips. Crowley could hear the explosion of noise around them as the rest of the Corps lost their minds. Several shouts about bets rang out. Halt sprang up, grabbed Crowley by the shoulders, and dragged him off. The people behind them were going absolutely wild.

          Somehow Halt’s hold on his shoulders traveled down until they were very much holding hands. Several minutes later, and Crowley was having an epiphany. Mostly because of how natural holding Halt’s hand was. And how thinking back on it, maybe regular friendship didn’t make you gush to friends for nearly an hour. It would explain the looks he got from King Duncan whenever he brought up Halt.

      A minute later, and they were sitting across from each other in the two person they still shared whenever they happened to meet up, which was mostly during Gatherings.

       “So we’re doing this? The whole relationship thing?” Crowley asked. Please let them be doing the relationship thing.

       “I’m cool with it if you want to,” Halt muttered.

       “I am completely okay with that,” Crowley responded, not afraid to admit that his face had long since joined Halt’s in terms of redness. Halt scooted over to sit next to Crowley, and they seamlessly relaxed against each other.

       “This is nice. I can’t remember the last time I actually hugged someone. Wait no ,I hugged you that one time a few months ago,” Crowley muttered sleepily. Halt just grabbed some blankets and pulled Crowley back to lie down. Crowley gladly leaned into Halt’s touch and smiled at Halt’s nervous sputtering.

        And if Crowley remembers Halt’s tendency to act like a total mess whenever something even slightly romantic happens for all eternity, well who can blame him.

[peonyrice]

20 Things to do & love about Hong Kong right now

What’s not to love about Hong Kong? Our designer Pauline, shares her top 20.

What inspires you in Hong Kong?

So so much, daily sightings – heritage buildings, architecture and Art, HK is a very abundant place for art. From street art and random sightings in old neighborhoods to discovering a whole range of local independent artists who work in different mediums. And of course the international art scene that is also present here. If you need a change of scenery you can jump in a cab or bus and you are on the beach in half hour.

A lot is getting lost here in the way of the the old Hong Kong as we know it – neon signs, buildings, makers, crafts so it’s incredible if we are lucky enough to see it even for a moment, so it’s important to me to get a sense of that now. 

1.     Favorite place in Hong Kong?

So so many – endless list. I am in love with this city.  Being so close to the outdoors with an unexpected view of the mountains, city and sea all together in a perfect light. Lush Nature sitting right next to the density of high rise. That’s pretty unique. Walking distance too.

2.     Favorite food?

Has to be discovering traditional Cantonese and ethnic foods that remind me of being an immigrant Chinese with a childhood in England not really knowing where they came from. Love seeing that little old lady or man selling something homemade -  Hakka bun or dumpling or a village shop selling local honey in a  pop bottle. Happy local bites have managed to stay and most of it is quite healthy. You feel the love that went into making it.

My favorite area for this is Sham Shui Po – an older district – total gem sitting next to the hole in the wall food spots with it’s electronics, secondhand markets and off course fabrics. In contrast there’s lots of cool new places also popping up. Art & Coffee. Interesting to see how neighborhoods are changing in this new era. Another place worth a mention - is Dignity Kitchen - a Singaporean social enterprise that serves up yummy Singaporean food housed in a renewed heritage building at 618 Shanghai street -  i love their Pandan cake!

3.      Favorite Drink

Freshly squeezed sugarcane juice. Nothing beats the thirst but this. Better than any bubble tea. Bring your own container or bottle even better. Look out for the few drink vendors selling it and the traditional Chinese herbal teas which are great for cooling and keeping your body heat in check during the summer months. My fav spot is Kung Lee Sugarcane Store on Hollywood road, Central, intersection near Lyndhurst. It’s a family business spanning a few generations.

4.     Favorite mode of transport

Has to be the Star Ferry, 5 minutes on that after a long day – just takes every thing away. It’s very therapeutic. That really hasn’t changed for me since the early mid 90’s traveling here for work.

5.     Favorite place to shop

More of a browser than a shopper these days. I have everything I need. Love all the antique shops along Hollywood road in my neighborhood with all their unique offerings. Unfortunately many are no longer operating since this tough year. I look out for special exhibitions to learn more about Chinese antiques. My fascination with craftsmanship done the old way. There’s always little surprises down the side streets. Love all the nostalgic & random stuff. Sometimes there’s a few treasures to be found.

6.     Favorite HK artist

I love dimension and have an obsession with typography and textured works. I have been quite intrigued by the local artist Michell Lie and her Chinese brushwork inspired pieces mixed with some contemporary elements. There’s a beautiful fluidness in her work that i can just get lost in for a short while. Currently exploring ceramic artists in the city.

7.     Favorite place to explore

Old industrial neighborhoods around HK – the Mills are fantastic – repurposed textile mill now focusing on the history of HK textiles, sustainability, supporting local projects. Such a great place to hang with it’s shops, exhibitions and museum.

8.     Favorite temple in HK

The Chi Lin nunnery in Diamond Hill, very different from the other traditional temples you see in South China, I feel very calm when I am here and it’s not far to get to. If you need a couple of hours out. It’s perfect and there’s a lovely landscape oriental garden next to it too. For a further out trip– Tsz shan Monastery is quite special and a must .

9.     Favorite sighting

Often you will see parts of movies or TV series being shot. People don’t really bat an eyelid to it. It’s great to see a part of the neighborhood lit up with lights, cameras and crew and you know there’s some action going down.

10.  Favorite place that doesn’t feel like HK

Some of the Hikes –Cape d'aguilar, Cape Collison, some of the further out little islands that you can only access by boat. The landscape and vegetation here is so diverse.

11.  Favorite night time spot

Has to be the peak – but anywhere with a clear night view of the Harbor I am happy with. A sunset hike via the many paths to the peak is perfect way to soak in the city.

12.  Favorite fashion discoveries

PoHo neighborhood has lots of small design boutiques, some fashion, lifestyle and accessories. PMQ is another fab little area full of small boutiques and workshops. Love checking out the side streets in Central too and some of the other districts. The side alleys are the best places to discover something. Mongkok behind the ladies markets has a few vintage stores i love rummaging around in too.

13.  Favorite Lifestyle store

Still has to be G.O.D .. love all the little nuances and humor in the heritage inspired products.  Small items that are perfect memories of HK.

14.  Favorite season in HK

September on wards till March. Weather’s cooler and you can get out to do more hikes…and not turn up in places sweaty. Many people do not realize HK has seasons, complete contrast to other 4 season countries as winter here is like 1 month of 12 degrees and people running around in Puffas.

15.  What do you love most about HK

Convenience. This city was built on that. I haven’t had to drive since I left the UK more than 20 years ago. Most places can be walk-able, if not jump on the MTR which is super clean and efficient or bus or grab a taxi. Most places are 15 mins to under 2 hours away. You can be in 3-4 places a day if you plan right. Shops in some districts are open late 7 days a week. It’s really a city that never sleeps. …. And I am never too far from seeing water.

16.  Favorite day trip

Jumping on a ferry to one of many the islands – 30 minutes and you would have landed elsewhere. Can’t decide which I love better.. have so much to discover still on Lantau, Cheung Chau, Lamma, or go inland to the islands around Plover Cove. You can never get enough sunsets.

17. Favorite Smell

Can’t decide if it’s the Kowloon or Hong Kong Candle created by BE Candle and Tiny island maps. But I love both for a different daily mood and the Terrazzo holder.. all locally made. Love that.

credit:tinyislandmaps

18.  Current favorite hang out place.

Central market just finally finished get renewed. It was a 4th generation building old modern style market that first came about in the 1850’s . Super cool with a well curated bunch of shops and food hangouts.

19.  Favorite thing to do in HK

Eat, hang out with friends, visit a museum, see an exhibition somewhere hidden. Just be inspired.

20. Favorite place to decompress?

My 24/7 Gym or has to be home. After all the running around - the new way of working and the past pandemic year made me appreciate being still and chill.

[graceapperley-ccc]

Week 12 - Individual Writing

This essay will discuss concepts of Te Reo Maori with regard to Cosmology. Specifically I will discuss Matariki and the perspectives of both Western and Maori cultures. Cosmology is a branch of astronomy concerned with the studies of the origin and evolution of the universe. Western cosmology is the study of the universe and its components whereas Maori cosmology involves social, spiritual and practical aspects of survival like the moon calendar, wayfinding and the star compass. A lot of knowledge about Maori astronomy was lost or dismissed following colonisation of New Zealand.

Matariki is the start of the Maori New Year. It is a cluster of about 500 stars, but only seven of them can be seen by the naked eye, these are known as the mother and her six daughters Tupuānuku, Tupuārangi, Waipunarangi, Waitī, Waitā and Ururangi. They are a distinct line of stars that forms Orion’s belt, just north of these is the cluster of the Matariki stars. Matariki rises in the NorthEast in New Zealand from late May to early June, and this is when the festivities start. People celebrate it to remember their ancestors by coming together sharing food, playing and singing to music, and storytelling. “The stars were closely associated with planting, harvesting and hunting. If the stars are bright and clear it signifies an abundant season ahead.” (Matariki: Maori New Year). The Western cultures view cosmology as “The movement of the sun across the sky determined the seasons, while the lunar cycle of 28 days provided convenient divisions of the year - 12 months, based on monath, the Old English word for moon. The rising and setting of constellations and stars also provided annual markers.” (Roos).

Maori and western cultures have not too dissimilar perspectives as to how the world started as they both had a dense mass, Western say the world started with the Big Bang whereas the Maori creation story begins in darkness which Ranginui, the sky father, and Papatūānuku, the earth mother, emerge. Earth and sky were joined together but their children separated their parents letting light come into the world.

Maori “don’t come from a history of superstition and ignorance but come from a history of science and knowledge” (Tātai arorangi) just like the Western cultures do. The merging of both cultures can benefit from each other as some aspects are very similar. “Not only do I think we have a lot to learn from mainstream science, I think that mainstream science has a lot to learn from indigenous science. Together we can enrich the science field, a collective approach will add value to astronomy in general.” (Matamua).

Waituhi is a series of public art designs that are placed annually at the same time as Matariki rises. The purpose of Waituhi is to take the festivities and kaupapa of Matariki to a larger audience, like a public space rather than traditional art spaces such as galleries and museums. The eight flag poles are located at Frank Kitts park facing the Whairepo Lagoon, they celebrate the new year and acknowledge the site as one of significance to mana whenua. This year the Waituhi Flags were designed by David Hakaraia, inspired by the whai repo, stingray that sit in the Lagoon. The triangle shapes symbolise the three iwi, Te Ātiawa, Ngāti Tupaia and Ngāti Haumia who settled in the harbour before the Europeans. There have been a lot of effects on Maori astronomy since colonisation, specifically how much knowledge was passed on and how much is taught today. There has been a lack of knowledge and education at schools however since the 2000’s a group Society for Māori Astronomy Research and Traditions (SMART) formed, and has been collating stories and knowledge to share to preserve and revitalize Maori astronomical knowledge. (Tātai arorangi). Also “for many years navigation schools in Aotearoa-New Zealand and Hawaii have been training the next generations of navigators, so this knowledge base seems now to be in safe hands and to be steadily heading in a successful direction.” (Harris) It's good to know that training has been put in place for the new generations to be educated on the historical traditions their ancestors used.

Fig. 1. David Hakaraia, Waituhi Flags, 2020, Wellington City Council, https://wellington.govt.nz/services/community-and-culture/arts/outdoor-public-art/waituhi-matariki-public-art-project

A resource that people can use to learn more about Matariki is Living by The Stars with Professor Rangi Matamua on Facebook. This is a great resource to watch quick videos and learn about Maori astronomy. Matamua talks about the certain part of Matariki on that certain day. He educates people about Matariki throughout the whole year, not just at the start of the rising when most people celebrate it, but people can practice the things that they certain days are specific for and “Live by The Stars.” “Your knowledge of your environment was necessary for you to survive.” (Matamua) The traditional signs help many people of all cultures who still use them today, planting on certain days. “I suggest that it may even alter the mainstream constructions of nature, through normalizing the indigenous constructions. Thus, the protection of indigenous rights to culture and religion could better protect a healthy environment for everyone.” (Magallanes, 3). This facebook page is a great resource for people to learn about the right days for specific events as “detailed knowledge of the environment and ecology were needed to understand the optimal times for agricultural and hunting practices, and early ethnographic accounts of Māori growing practices often were veiled by colonial bias and a lack of in-depth understanding of the cultural context.” (Harris).

In conclusion, Maori and Western cultures have similar aspects of cosmology and combining areas could lead to a richer value of astronomy in New Zealand. People will deepen their knowledge about their environment and the certain traditional practices that have been carried through their ancestors, making people have a better connection to their religion and land. There are many art, designs and resources that can help educate people on cosmology, both Maori and Western, like the Flags and the Living by The Stars Facebook page.

Reference List

Harris, Pauline, et al. "A review of Māori astronomy in Aotearoa-New Zealand." Journal of Astronomical History and Heritage 16.3 (2013): 325-336.

Magallanes, Catherine J. Iorns. "Maori cultural rights in Aotearoa New Zealand: Protecting the cosmology that protects the environment." Widener L. Rev. 21 (2015): 273.

Roos, Anna. “Astronomy and Cosmology: Western and Non-Western Cultural Practices in Ancient Astronomy.” Encyclopedia, Oct 25 2020, www.encyclopedia.com/science/science-magazines/astronomy-and-cosmology-western-and-non-western-cultural-practices-ancient-astronomy

Scottie Productions. “Project Mātauranga Episode 8: Tātai arorangi.” Science Learning Hub, 4 July 2018, www.sciencelearn.org.nz/resources/1274-revitalising-maori-astronomy

[monday12econlive]

As college students, we are often faced with many decisions whether it be big or small in our daily lives. We need to decide what classes to take, and at what times and with what professors. We need to decide the appropriate times to study and how much time to spend studying for each class in order to do well. With that, we also have to balance some free time for ourselves. Within all these decisions, more often than not, economics is present. The ten principles of economics are at play when we decide whether to study or not, through opportunity costs and we constantly make marginal decisions. Economics is all around us; during finals and midterms the demand for study rooms increases as students amp up their studying for their upcoming tests. To better explain how economics is present in our lives, let me give some  short accounts of some past experiences of me and my friends.

Maxine:

I have an upcoming midterm and since college started I have been continually faced with deciding between school involvements and studying. I had a Math midterm coming up in the next 2 days that I really need to study for and I was deciding whether or not to go to a career fair or stay in and study for my midterm. I had to think about the benefits of each situation. The career fair takes about 2 hours which means in that time I would be sacrificing 2 hours of studying. The career fair would be helpful because it was within my school of major so various representatives from different companies within my field of study will be there to answer questions and also it provides exposure for me to build on in the future. Meanwhile, with those 2 hours of studying, according to a TA, on average, an hour of studying for that class raises your midterm score about 5 points. So 2 hours of studying would in turn raise my score a whole letter grade more or less. I decided to go to the career fair because it involves more of the long run of my future rather than the present. I had a great time and learned a lot about my major and what could be my potential future. And because the opportunity cost of going was 2 hours of studying, I got an 84% rather than a 90% on the Math midterm. Although it wasn’t the exact 10 percent decrease I was expecting, which I’m definitely not complaining about, this experience showed me how the concept of opportunity cost can be present in my daily life.

Pauline:

Last quarter, I utilized the new study rooms in Mesa Court often as they were close to my room and very convenient for when I wanted to study completely by myself and with no distractions. At the beginning of the quarter, it was very easy for me to reserve a study room at any time that I wanted. However, as it began to grow closer to finals week around week 8 and 9, it was a completely different story. I no longer could reserve a study room at the times I felt were more convenient for me. The attendant who was in charge of the study room reservations told me that a lot more time slots for the study rooms began to get filled up. Looking back at this, I now realize this is a simple economic case of the law of demand. As it began to grow closer to finals week, a shift in the demand curve for study rooms occurred--the demand for study rooms increased, shifting the demand curve to the right.

Peyton:

During my first two quarters at UCI, I have worked at Chick-fil-A and I have been faced with the opportunity cost of working while in school many times. The opportunity cost is what you give up to get it, so each hour I work at Chick-fil-A is one hour that I could be spent doing something else. Each hour that I spend there I receive $11 in pay, but I could spend this hour by studying, exercising, going to Disneyland, etc. For example, if I choose to go to Disneyland for 5 hours, the opportunity cost is $55, 5 hours of studying, or 5 hours of exercising at the gym. By using economic concepts, such as opportunity cost in my daily life, I have been able to make better decisions that will benefit me more in the long run, rather than the short run. For instance, if I would just go to Disneyland every time that I am supposed to go study or go into work, I would receive happiness for the time being, but if I look at the opportunity cost of the situation and realize that I am giving up time studying or money from working, then I would realize that it is important for me to take responsibility by studying and working because it will benefit me in the long run when I get a good job and have a stable financial situation.

Evan:

This quarter I decided to pledge a fraternity here at UCI.  Pledging is a very large time commitment and often times cuts into time that could be spent studying, sleeping, and exercising.  Usually I am someone who exercises very regularly, gets a good amount of sleep every night, and studies tediously.   However with the time commitment of joining a fraternity not all of these things were completely possible, so there were some tradeoffs to be made.  On a daily basis, due to fraternity activities I lose approximately 2 hours of studying, 1 hour of exercise, and 2 hours of sleep.  However, I value the long term product of joining a fraternity  and making professional connections more than those lost hours.  Therefore, the opportunity cost of joining a fraternity is those lost hours and their results which are getting slightly worse grades, not being as in shape, and not getting as much sleep only for this quarter.  However, since it is only for one quarter, I value the opportunity cost of joining a fraternity greater than that of studying more, exercising more, and getting more sleep in the short term.

Group Members:

Maxine Apoderado (62692592)

Pauline Lagarde (72326227)

Evan Gittleman (35071899)

Peyton Geyser (88836129)

[foodoliplife]

The newest On Bright Leave an answer

The newest On Bright Leave an answer

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Some designs keep returning around (nevertheless the 80’s locks can remain where it really is). Plus, have a look at the most popular present day marriage hair tips!

tutulus, where in actuality the locks ended up being divided in to six pieces and fastened along with the top with a curved iron spear. This is designed to drive down wicked spirits. The bride additionally wore a wreath of plants.

Throughout the majority of the medieval duration, a married girl could have covered her mind with “veils, wimples, cloths, barbettes, hairnets, caps, hoods, or a combination of them to prevent her locks showing,” in accordance with medieval clothing researcher Rosie Gilbert. Although the church looked down about it, it had been additionally trendy for ladies to pluck their eyebrows and hairline as a top forehead had been viewed as an indication of beauty.

The women of Michelangelo’s time — like Genoese Simonetta that is noblewoman Vespucci pictured right here around 1480 — prided themselves on complicated braids and headpieces embellished with pearls along with other gems.

This era (around 1700 through 1800) is whenever hair that is piled-high popularity among European countries’s top classes. “Female royals and courtiers could have their stylists build monumental locks sculptures for special activities,” J. Bryan Lowder writes in Slate. “These might be studded with feathers, fresh fresh fruit, and, in accordance with some reports, types of completely rigged vessels.” In reality, before the wedding of George III and Princess Charlotte of Mecklenburg-Strelitz in 1761, the bride that is 17-year-old to rest sitting up by using servants to make certain her hairdo’s success.

Many Russian brides, particularly within the North, wore the kokoshnik, a more sophisticated, crest-shaped headdress embroidered with gold and pearls and tied up with ribbons.

The Norwegian bridal crown is made from gold and silver, frequently adorned with valuable rocks. “Such crowns are heirlooms, and it’s also quite normal for the brides of just one household for hundreds of years to put on the adornment that is same your head,” writes Pauline Weston Thomas.

It was the age of locks structures and false pieces, most of which offered bridal styles a lot of amount. Hair structures made hair look just as if it had been hovering, and provided caps a help to rest on.

Many Many Many Thanks to flapper fashion and Coco Chanel, numerous brides had been just starting to bob their locks, usually with quick, tight curls and hand waves. The Juliet limit veil arrived into vogue and would influence weddings for many years to come — like Kate Moss’ in 2011.

Whilst the stock exchange crashed, therefore did individuals capacity to manage high priced haircuts. Smooth finger waves and much much longer, less high-maintenance designs replaced the pin curls and dull bobs associated with 1920s. Cap designs remained popular.

Welcome to the chronilogical age of the Victory Roll hairstyle, that was known as after an airplane maneuver found in World War II. The style includes a signature ‘V’ shape, that has motivated numerous modern-day pin-up and rockabilly brides. Another style called the Queue Curl showcased a flat top with curled sides and right right back.

Brides began putting on their locks at the top of top of the minds in a waved roll. In those times, ladies utilized rolled-up stockings that are old produce fundamentals for his or her hairstyles, the same as they utilized structures in Edwardian times.

This is the chronilogical age of ultra-feminine lace and skullcap veils. On her wedding to John F. Kennedy, Jacqueline Bouvier wore a tiara manufactured from lace, embellished with orange blossoms.

Back-combing and huge bouffants took hold, using amount to a new degree. A 1961 bride writes: “the before my wedding saw me sitting in the hairdresser’s chair having my hair seriously back-combed, then the whole of that night I laid on my stomach, head on hands in order to stop my hair from becoming squashed day. However each day it had been significantly flatter than the last night.”

Pill package caps, just like the people Jackie Kennedy wore for social activities, had been used for weddings with a veil that is bridal.

After America allow its hair straight down within the 1960s, wedding hair into the 1970s then followed, with long, cascading hair becoming de rigueur. Some brides ditched the veil and wore headscarves or plants to embellish their locks.

Big locks ended up being straight straight right back after 1970s convenience. Not just were neighbours Kylie that is starring Minogue.

The 1990s (at least the early 1990s) didn’t disappoint if you thought the 1980s were all about big hair. Perms, curled bangs, and a good amount of hairspray had been hot.

Gradually, insane amount ended up being moving away from style. Victoria Adams (a.k.a. Posh Spice) famously wore her hair quick and a small spiky when she married soccer celebrity David Beckham. She additionally donned a tiny tiara.

The change of the century saw a return to ease for hairstyles. Jennifer Aniston’s design on her behalf wedding to Brad Pitt is just a perfect instance.

The retro birdcage veil has arrived back in a way that is big. Nation celebrity Miranda Lambert wore a mini one with soft, tousled waves on her wedding to Blake Shelton.

In a time whenever such a thing goes, some brides choose for a far more traditional updo. Countess Stephanie de Lannoy wore her locks pulled back a twist whenever she married Luxembourg’s Prince Guillaume. Her silk and veil that is tulle diamond family tiara refined from the appearance.

These days, soft, retro-inspired waves are probably one of the most popular bridal hairstyles. They appear effortless, but that “we woke up similar to this” look may take hours to master. Actress/reality star Kristin Cavallari sported them in her own wedding to Bears quarterback Jay Cutler.

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[itdisneymatter]

Day 01 - Magic Kingdom

Instead of a summary this time around, I'll try to sum up the day in a few words and sentences with a TLDR (too long; didnt read). Mostly to save me from repeating myself too much but also means you can skip on me droming on about nothing.

So the TLDR for today: Magic Kingdom. Custom t-shirts. Magic Bands. Really worth it. Got a good few rides in and hit 2 out of 3 of the mountains. Went for lunch at Belle's castle. Hot, hot, hot. Seen the 3pm parade. Missed out on a few rides but we'll get them in on a return. Everyone really enjoyed it and kicked the holiday off really well. Didnt hit dinner till late. Caught in a thunderstorm on the way home. Soaked.

And now...

First things first, or is that now second. Anyway,  I may have missed one or two details in my less than awake state which had an impact on todays events. We had planned, all going well, that we would head to Disney Springs (previously Downtown Disney) to get some Magic Bands - a watch-y thing that replaces your park ticket making it easier for Fast Passes and the like. With all the delays and the tiredness of yesterday it just wasnt a thing we were able to do. Ah well, best laid plans and all that. It meant however that we now had to try and pick them up when we hit the park today, pushing out our plans slightly. 

Some of us got personalised t-shirts made up (with our name and a specially selected Disney character), so today was a perfect opportunity to wear them.  We skipped on breakfast, and didnt have any bottled water to make a coffee (normally eek but ok for this morning, strangely). Not too hungry anyway so headed to my mum and dad's hotel to pick them up. They are in the same hotel as my sister, so its really convenient as a meet up point as my brother was picking them up in his car and its between both of our hotels. We were pretty spot on time for it being the first day so off we set for Magic Kingdom.

Parked up and within five minutes we stumbled upon a wee gift shop that sold Magic Bands - woohoo!  They have different colours and design so Ann picked up a nice wee 45th Anniversary Limited edition number. Patrick went for Sorcerers Apprentice (to match his tshirt.) Robert went for Up (to match his tshirt AAAND favourite Disney movie). Grace went for Orange Bird, who is a wee orange bird (funnily enough) who used to appear is old, Disney animations. We picked up a cup one time on the first visit to Disney (in 2013) and that cup had Orange Bird on it, and Grace has had an affinity with the character ever since. I went for Aladdin. Mum and Dad picked some funky coloured bands and we headed off to the park entrance. Spotted some of the other party (the ones in the second car) in their custom t-shirts so sped up to meet them just in time to board the ferry to the Magic Kingdom entrance. Tshirts already coming in handy with finding peeps, so colour matching tees in the way to go for future outings I think! Ferry was lovely and all of the kids were getting really excited.

So me trying to Facebook Live the Magic Kingdom entry was a complete and utter failure. I didnt even know how to start the thing - I should be as ashamed, calling myself a techie. Though I did get slightly reprimanded taking my phone out as they had a no selfie policy at security, prior to going in. He had a gun, so I pretty much did what he said and put my phone away. I fell back on my trusty Go-Pro (that I havent used since last time, but how hard can it be, right?). Video to follow as my laptop is ancient and I can barely run wordpad nevermind a full 1080p video clip. 

Full of smiles we headed in and once we stocked up on some water, a first visit badge for Emily and the others picked up their magic bands, we had 20 minutes to get to to our first fast pass - Splash Mountain in Frontier Land (good job I knew the way :P). Bypassed some rides as well as an opportunity to get Dole Whip (marked down on our initial plans), but we made the ride with 5 minutes to spare - phew!

Magic Kingdom Mountains 1 & 2... check!

Splash mountain. All of the family (save for my Mum, Alessio and Isabella) hit up the ride and it was AWESOME! Grace was quite panicky so was a little clingy (even though she'd been on it before) but Emily and Corrie both first timers absolutely loved it. And for our efforts, our first family ride photo! :D

Then we headed to Big Thunder straight after - ended up riding on my jack jones which was arite though as I go pro-ed the whole thing (our party's reactions, not the ride itself). We did also get a video for our memory maker which we have never had before but its a really fantasticly amazing this to have (even if the photographers does make you hold invisible fairies and set you up in a variety of cheesy poses).

On a role, we then hit Haunted Mansion, It's a Small World (GG's personal fave), Mickey's Philharmagic AND Peter Pan all before lunch. Not bad, for running an hour or so later off plan.

Be. Our. Guest!

Due to availability and a LOT of pre-planning, our wee family were the only ones booked in to Be Our Guest today. We said our goodbyes to the rest of the party and after arranging a meet up point and time we set off for a now, very much needed, lunch. We decided on some really nice menu choices, including a monster Grilled Cheese Sandwich and Barbequed Pulled Pork. The guys also got the infamous "Grey Stuff" for dessert, which seemed to be the kids favourite course of the day. However the star of the show for me was the French Onion Soup which was sublimely awesome (I'd eat this every day and I'm really really not a soup guy!).

We caught back up with the rest of the party after lunch just in time for the 3pm parade, which was only listed as a might-do due to time so really impressed we managed it. Time to get the zoom lens out! :D A side note on cameras - last time we were here I opted to take a reasonably good performing compact camera instead of my main SLR, for accessiblity purposes. While it was good, I always missed the feel and added control of my main camera, so this year its the exact opposite - Im gonna be a packhorse. Quality over comfort! The parade was really colourful and with the smaller kiddos were put up on shoulders so they had a perfect view (however I must add, its quite difficult to take quality photos through a 70-200mm lens mounted on a 5D with a flashgun, I'll have you know).

After cycling through most of the main Disney Princess movies in the Parade (except Frozen, which was kinda dissapointing, mainly as *I* wanted to see Elsa), Mickey and Mickey signed off the show to resounding cheers and waves and applause.

ROARRRRRRR!!!

A little time to go before our last listed Fast Pass of the Day - Seven Dwarves Mine Train, so we queued up for Enchanted Tales With Belle beforehand. The main premise is that kids (and some adults), volunteer to get chosen to reeact a little scene with Belle. For one of the main roles, The Beast, kids must roar their loudest and Grace got chosen! (though I shouldnt really be surposed by that). She was all chuffed and kept saying her and Robert had switched roles from last time with Robert now playing the part of the mighty steed Snaggleforp, or whatever the horses name is (its late and and I'm not going to google Belle's hor..., right fine... its Phillipe). Patrick, Robert, Corrie and Emily were also picked to be part of the show. Even Kevin was picked as a Knight in shining armor - which he played brilliantly (mostly it was about standing still, but still, brilliantly). They all got presented with a little bookmark as a small token, at the end for taking part.

By now, everyone was feeling a little drained so decided after Seven Dwarves that we would head for home and grab a bite to eat. We are going to be back at Magic Kingdom at least one other time when we can prioritize Tomorrowland, so everyone was on board. Seven Dwarves, I ended up on my own again after having lost my little sidekick Gracie (who opted out of the ride). I didn't mind though as I had my Gopro already to go again. I was slotted in on the first seat with a lady, who immediately asked my name and introduced herself (as Martha?... maybe, it was loud and after two attempts of saying 'what' you just need to go along with it). She just started chatting away all through the ride. In fact, just today loads of people just started up full blown convo's with me out of the blue - I mustve been rocking a approachable/chatterbox vibe in my backward facing hat and camera loadout. Those of you who know me, know me as anything but (listen I try, but I'm the first to admit I'm pretty terrible with words and interesting conversation at times). That being said, it was great to chat with so many different people around the world and just goes to show how friendly and amazing this place really is.

A wee cheeky ride on the Speedway for a few folk, a quick tee shirt pic in front of the castle and we headed home.

An absolutely amazing day with Splash mountain being the clear favourite for most of the kids. And although we missed out on a section or two, we still got loads of rides in and everyone was content with general flow how the day. With everyone on the same wavelength I think its gonna make this holiday a really magical one (sorry for the being soppy, Im getting tired, but we're nearly there).

Thunder and Lightning, very very frightening.

Michael & Sarah-Jane decided to grab some dinner and get an early night so we said our goodbyes for the day. We headed out to the shop after getting back to the hotel to grab so Beers and water (in order of priority obvs), as well as a few other bits and pieces. We then met up with my Mum, Dad, Kev, Pauline and Emily to go for a bite to eat (I just realised I havent formall introduced everyone in the party, Ill get around to that tomorrow, promise). With it being a Saturday most places were pretty packed and after checking out a few places (unsuccessfully), we ended up in Johnny Rockets (which Robert pointed out was where we went the second night the last time after failing to find a place - kids memorys are scary at times). We got seated but the service was SLOOOOOW! I can fault our waitress too much though, she brought me over a freee refill pretty much as soon as I finished my first drink. It instantly reminded me of Steve Buchemi's in that infamous Diner scene at the beginning of  Reservoir Dogs...

Mr. Pink: Look, I ordered coffee, alright? And we been here a long *bleeping* time and she's only filled my cup three times. When I order coffee I want it filled six times.

Ok, so it wasnt six times, it was one time, and it wasnt coffee (mmm coffee, I really shoulda went with coffee now that I think about it), but it was the single good thing about the service and one that warranted the tip even if it didnt meet Mr. Pink's stringent tipping criteria.

I actually haven't had an appetite since those prissy little sammiches on the plane. Even at Belle's castle and I wasnt particulary hungry even when we sat down at Johnny Rockets. But hey, do they mak a mean burger! Opted for a Smokehouse, which included some Bacon-y goodness and crispy onion rings - good stuff and nearly worth the wait, nearly... but then again it was a long wait. So the whole experience was fairly ok but then it took a big huge nose dive to round off the night...

When we left the restaurant,  its was bucketing it down. I know coming from Scotland we should be used to a little rain, but this was torrential, and we got huge flashes & bangs of thunder and lightening thrown in, in good measure. Big Rain as Grace so eloquently put it (shes just brilliant with words). Our hotel was right across the road, which was handy, but we had to leave the other guys to struggle to their hotel which was pretty much a mile away :( 

Ok, I'm delivering this really late and have no time to edit so apologies, I must try harder during the day in future. The images are also taking an age to download, so might not have all the ones I want in by the time this goes up, though Ill try to add more later in maybe a weekly slideshow or something. See you tomorrow for Day 02 - Epcot which will which will likely being unofficially subtitled - Battling The Storm!

[thefanficmonster]

Caught Red-handed

Corpse Husband x Reader (Gender Neutral)

Warnings: Swearing, Struggling with migraines 

Genre: Fluff, Comfort, RPF (Real Person Fic)

Summary: Having suffered from migraines all their life, Y/N knows better than to give them much attention or let them hinder their work too much. However, their boyfriend is a lot more worried than they are and has taken it as his personal duty to ease their pain as much as he possibly can. 

Requested by Anon. Hi dear! Thank you so much for your request, I’m so sorry it has taken me so long to get to it, write and post it, but here it finally is and I hope you come across it and read it! I’ve never experienced migraines nor have I known someone who has so if I’ve misrepresented or written any misinformation, anyone who catches it, feel free to let me know either in the comments or in my inbox/messages! Love, Vy ❤

The first time I got a headache was in the middle of math class in eighth grade. I remember it so distinctly because I had never before experienced such sudden and such intense pain. I got to go home early that day and spent a good portion of the day trying to sleep it off but to no avail.

Since then I’ve grown used to having to deal with a pain so strong it renders me unable to function for a whole day about two times a month. Sometimes, I even try to be stubborn with it - I try to push through as much work as I can despite the migraine, but that never works out for a long time considering it ends up crippling me in the end. That’s never kept me from trying over and over again though!

Now, to contrast my nonchalance and even annoyance with these pesky attacks, is my boyfriend Corpse’s concern over them. I’ve tried explaining to him that I’ve grown used to them and that I try not to let them bother me and that he shouldn’t stress over them so much but I may as well be talking to a wall because all he has to do is see me squint my eyes or cringe and he enters concerned-mother mode. Don’t get me wrong, I appreciate it to no end, I just don’t want him worrying over something so small. Also, a minor convenience: if the migraine doesn’t hinder me from tending to my tasks, Corpse will. He’ll make sure I’m off the task I’m working and transported into bed in an instant.

That’s why I’m now clenching my jaw, struggling to maintain a poker face as I work on an important project I have to send to my boss by the start of next week. I’ve got plenty of time, but I like to stay on top of my work so it doesn’t pile on top of me, you know what I’m saying. Corpse is sitting on the couch next to me, casually glancing at me every now and then while remaining quiet as to not disturb me. So far so good, he hasn’t noticed anything and, if I didn’t know any better I would sigh in relief. There’s nothing to trigger the pain to arise any further - the lights are dim, I’m staying hydrated, and I downed two painkillers in the bathroom about an hour and a half ago - so I’m sure I’ll be in the clear at least until dinner.

“Wanna watch a movie when you’re done?“ Corpse asks, “Unless you’re tired or anything...“

I flash him a grateful smile, giving his knee a squeeze of reassurance, “I’d love to, babe. But I can’t promise that I won’t fall asleep.”

He chuckles, “Yeah, I know you’ve got a tendency of doing that.” Giving me a side-glance he adds, “It’s cute.”

I roll my eyes, already sensing a blush creeping up on my cheeks and neck which I hide by turning to face my laptop screen. One thing I can’t hide though is the wide grin that’s spread across my face as I mutter: “Shut up.”

Just then, a particularly sharp jolt of pain courses through my head, testing that ability to maintain a resting face. Thankfully, Corpse is turned in the opposite direction, searching for his phone, so I allow myself a brief cringe at the discomfort. 

Guess the painkillers are dying down on me, I think to myself, a second away from sighing exasperatedly at the thought that I have to down two more. It was wishful of me to think I could enjoy the luxury of a dull ache until dinner, now the migraine is straight up mocking me.

I quietly stand up from the couch and make my way to the bathroom so I can take another dose of aspirin because I don’t think I’ll be able to focus on my work for very long if it keeps hitting me with this intensity. Opening the door to the small cabinet above the sink, I automatically reach out for the bottle of pills but stop when I see a surprise.

Directly in front of the bottle stands a note written in, you guessed it, Corpse’s handwriting.

‘Already losing effect, huh? When are you thinking of coming clean?‘

Well shoot, am I that transparent?

I sheepishly exit the bathroom, walking back into the living room where Corpse greets me with the same stance as a parent greeting their kid who’s gotten home past curfew: legs crossed, arms folded over his chest, one eyebrow raised, the whole nine yards.

“Yeah, they’re already losing effect.“ I admit, a small apologetic smile tugging at the corners of my mouth, my cheeks burning with an embarrassed blush. “And I wasn’t gonna tell you at all.” I hurry to add: “Please don’t be mad though.“

Corpse shifts slightly, his gaze giving me a onceover as he contemplates how to pursue the case. I’ve already got several arguments/defenses ready - the perks of working for a lawyer - but I know he’ll dismiss all of them no matter how strong they might come off as in court. Bottom line: even statements that would fly in court can’t fly with Corpse sometimes. Especially when my health and well-being are the topic of observation.

“What have we said about lying?“ He finally asks, causing me to cringe and ball my fists in guilt.

However, I still have my arguments ready: “You never asked me so I never technically lied.” One might say I have quite the audacity to plead not guilty right now, even though I’ve been caught red-handed, but what can I say, I’m stubborn in nature. And Corpse knows this, he’s just testing me for his own amusement.

“Poor excuse, Y/N.“ He says with disapproval, shaking his head and fully embracing his disappointed parent persona. “You’re lucky I’m feeling generous today. So, as punishment for hiding the truth from me, you are to ditch that project you’ve been bugging yourself over and come cuddle and watch a movie with me. Bonus points for you if you fall asleep.“

I needn’t be told twice - not only will it wipe that look off his features but it’ll also get earn me a movie night with the additional benefit of cuddling with my boyfriend? - how could I refuse?

I can’t help it, I just gotta push my luck here and poke the bear with a stick, “If the punishments are so sweet I might start being dishonest more often.“

Corpse rolls his eyes, scooting on the couch and tapping the space he’s freed up for me, “I said I was feeling generous, don’t bet on it happening often though.”

Alright, enough luck-pushing, I should be grateful for this generosity instead. I should be using it to the max.

So, what’s stopping you from doing just that?

Good question, brain, good question.

Head still pounding just not as intensely, I slip under the thin soft comforter to find myself not only wrapped in it but also in Corpse’s arm, his warm embrace bringing me instant comfort, walking me on the tight-rope of falling asleep right away.

“Sneaky bastard.“ I attempt to mutter, yawning halfway through. 

I feel his lips on the top of my head, placing a quick and gentle kiss in my hair before he says, “You’re welcome, babe.”

Count your lucky stars, Y/N. You’ve got one of the good ones.

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[monday12econlive]

Introduction:

          As college students, we are often faced with many decisions whether it be big or small in our daily lives. We need to decide what classes to take, and at what times and with what professors. We need to decide the appropriate times to study and how much time to spend studying for each class in order to do well. With that, we also have to balance some free time for ourselves. Within all these decisions, more often than not, economics is present. The ten principles of economics are at play when we decide whether to study or not, through opportunity costs and we constantly make marginal decisions. Economics is all around us; during finals and midterms the demand for study rooms increases as students amp up their studying for their upcoming tests. To better explain how economics is present in our lives, let me give some  short accounts of some past experiences of me and my friends.

Maxine:

I have an upcoming midterm and since college started I have been continually faced with deciding between school involvements and studying. I had a Math midterm coming up in the next 2 days that I really need to study for and I was deciding whether or not to go to a career fair or stay in and study for my midterm. I had to think about the benefits of each situation. The career fair takes about 2 hours which means in that time I would be sacrificing 2 hours of studying. The career fair would be helpful because it was within my school of major so various representatives from different companies within my field of study will be there to answer questions and also it provides exposure for me to build on in the future. Meanwhile, with those 2 hours of studying, according to a TA, on average, an hour of studying for that class raises your midterm score about 5 points. So 2 hours of studying would in turn raise my score a whole letter grade more or less. I decided to go to the career fair because it involves more of the long run of my future rather than the present. I had a great time and learned a lot about my major and what could be my potential future. And because the opportunity cost of going was 2 hours of studying, I got an 84% rather than a 90% on the Math midterm. Although it wasn’t the exact 10 percent decrease I was expecting, which I’m definitely not complaining about, this experience showed me how the concept of opportunity cost can be present in my daily life.

Pauline:

Last quarter, I utilized the new study rooms in Mesa Court often as they were close to my room and very convenient for when I wanted to study completely by myself and with no distractions. At the beginning of the quarter, it was very easy for me to reserve a study room at any time that I wanted. However, as it began to grow closer to finals week around week 8 and 9, it was a completely different story. I no longer could reserve a study room at the times I felt were more convenient for me. The attendant who was in charge of the study room reservations told me that a lot more time slots for the study rooms began to get filled up. Looking back at this, I now realize this is a simple economic case of the law of demand. As it began to grow closer to finals week, a shift in the demand curve for study rooms occurred--the demand for study rooms increased, shifting the demand curve to the right.

Peyton:

During my first two quarters at UCI, I have worked at Chick-fil-A and I have been faced with the opportunity cost of working while in school many times. The opportunity cost is what you give up to get it, so each hour I work at Chick-fil-A is one hour that I could be spent doing something else. Each hour that I spend there I receive $11 in pay, but I could spend this hour by studying, exercising, going to Disneyland, etc. For example, if I choose to go to Disneyland for 5 hours, the opportunity cost is $55, 5 hours of studying, or 5 hours of exercising at the gym. By using economic concepts, such as opportunity cost in my daily life, I have been able to make better decisions that will benefit me more in the long run, rather than the short run. For instance, if I would just go to Disneyland every time that I am supposed to go study or go into work, I would receive happiness for the time being, but if I look at the opportunity cost of the situation and realize that I am giving up time studying or money from working, then I would realize that it is important for me to take responsibility by studying and working because it will benefit me in the long run when I get a good job and have a stable financial situation.

Evan:

This quarter I decided to pledge a fraternity here at UCI.  Pledging is a very large time commitment and often times cuts into time that could be spent studying, sleeping, and exercising.  Usually I am someone who exercises very regularly, gets a good amount of sleep every night, and studies tediously.   However with the time commitment of joining a fraternity not all of these things were completely possible, so there were some tradeoffs to be made.  On a daily basis, due to fraternity activities I lose approximately 2 hours of studying, 1 hour of exercise, and 2 hours of sleep.  However, I value the long term product of joining a fraternity  and making professional connections more than those lost hours.  Therefore, the opportunity cost of joining a fraternity is those lost hours and their results which are getting slightly worse grades, not being as in shape, and not getting as much sleep only for this quarter.  However, since it is only for one quarter, I value the opportunity cost of joining a fraternity greater than that of studying more, exercising more, and getting more sleep in the short term.

As college students, we are often faced with many decisions whether it be big or small in our daily lives. We need to decide what classes to take, and at what times and with what professors. We need to decide the appropriate times to study and how much time to spend studying for each class in order to do well. With that, we also have to balance some free time for ourselves. Within all these decisions, more often than not, economics is present. The ten principles of economics are at play when we decide whether to study or not, through opportunity costs and we constantly make marginal decisions. Economics is all around us; during finals and midterms the demand for study rooms increases as students amp up their studying for their upcoming tests. To better explain how economics is present in our lives, let me give some  short accounts of some past experiences of me and my friends.

Maxine:

I have an upcoming midterm and since college started I have been continually faced with deciding between school involvements and studying. I had a Math midterm coming up in the next 2 days that I really need to study for and I was deciding whether or not to go to a career fair or stay in and study for my midterm. I had to think about the benefits of each situation. The career fair takes about 2 hours which means in that time I would be sacrificing 2 hours of studying. The career fair would be helpful because it was within my school of major so various representatives from different companies within my field of study will be there to answer questions and also it provides exposure for me to build on in the future. Meanwhile, with those 2 hours of studying, according to a TA, on average, an hour of studying for that class raises your midterm score about 5 points. So 2 hours of studying would in turn raise my score a whole letter grade more or less. I decided to go to the career fair because it involves more of the long run of my future rather than the present. I had a great time and learned a lot about my major and what could be my potential future. And because the opportunity cost of going was 2 hours of studying, I got an 84% rather than a 90% on the Math midterm. Although it wasn’t the exact 10 percent decrease I was expecting, which I’m definitely not complaining about, this experience showed me how the concept of opportunity cost can be present in my daily life.

Pauline:

Last quarter, I utilized the new study rooms in Mesa Court often as they were close to my room and very convenient for when I wanted to study completely by myself and with no distractions. At the beginning of the quarter, it was very easy for me to reserve a study room at any time that I wanted. However, as it began to grow closer to finals week around week 8 and 9, it was a completely different story. I no longer could reserve a study room at the times I felt were more convenient for me. The attendant who was in charge of the study room reservations told me that a lot more time slots for the study rooms began to get filled up. Looking back at this, I now realize this is a simple economic case of the law of demand. As it began to grow closer to finals week, a shift in the demand curve for study rooms occurred--the demand for study rooms increased, shifting the demand curve to the right.

Peyton:

During my first two quarters at UCI, I have worked at Chick-fil-A and I have been faced with the opportunity cost of working while in school many times. The opportunity cost is what you give up to get it, so each hour I work at Chick-fil-A is one hour that I could be spent doing something else. Each hour that I spend there I receive $11 in pay, but I could spend this hour by studying, exercising, going to Disneyland, etc. For example, if I choose to go to Disneyland for 5 hours, the opportunity cost is $55, 5 hours of studying, or 5 hours of exercising at the gym. By using economic concepts, such as opportunity cost in my daily life, I have been able to make better decisions that will benefit me more in the long run, rather than the short run. For instance, if I would just go to Disneyland every time that I am supposed to go study or go into work, I would receive happiness for the time being, but if I look at the opportunity cost of the situation and realize that I am giving up time studying or money from working, then I would realize that it is important for me to take responsibility by studying and working because it will benefit me in the long run when I get a good job and have a stable financial situation.

Evan:

This quarter I decided to pledge a fraternity here at UCI.  Pledging is a very large time commitment and often times cuts into time that could be spent studying, sleeping, and exercising.  Usually I am someone who exercises very regularly, gets a good amount of sleep every night, and studies tediously.   However with the time commitment of joining a fraternity not all of these things were completely possible, so there were some tradeoffs to be made.  On a daily basis, due to fraternity activities I lose approximately 2 hours of studying, 1 hour of exercise, and 2 hours of sleep.  However, I value the long term product of joining a fraternity  and making professional connections more than those lost hours.  Therefore, the opportunity cost of joining a fraternity is those lost hours and their results which are getting slightly worse grades, not being as in shape, and not getting as much sleep only for this quarter.  However, since it is only for one quarter, I value the opportunity cost of joining a fraternity greater than that of studying more, exercising more, and getting more sleep in the short term.

Group Members:

Maxine Apoderado (62692592)

Pauline Lagarde (72326227)

Evan Gittleman (35071899)